Clutch issues: never ending

[Felipe de Jesus]

Hey guys this is my first post. I have a 2000 civic dx with a standard transmission. I've been having problems with my cluth recently where the pedal pushes down to the floor by itself. If I push the pedal back up and press it a couple times I'm able to change gears, but it will descend down to the floor after a bit and last time I drove it home from work I was having a very hard time changing gears even though I still had a little play in the clutch. I was able to get home and haven driven since. I've read several posts saying a common solution to a problem like this is to replace the master cylinder or slave cylinder, however I don't think it could be that since I replaced them both about 5 months ago.

I do have an idea of what it could be, I just would like to hear what others have to say. I bought a one-man bleeder kit not so long ago when dealing with this problem and ive noticed that every time I connect my hose to the slave cylinder the pressure does not hold, it slowly descends. I checked the connections but I can't really distinguish any major leaks on the line that connects the master and slave. Should I just replace the whole connection?

 

[daperez13]

You may still have air or a small leak in the system. Did you replace the master and slave yourself? Aftermarket or Honda parts? Check and replace the hoses first (if needed) and try flushing and bleeding the system out again with the help off someone. Is there any fluid loss in the reservoir?

 

[dancam]

When bleeding it its easy to let the resovoir empty and get a bit of air in while your bleeding it.


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[Felipe de Jesus]

You may still have air or a small leak in the system. Did you replace the master and slave yourself? Aftermarket or Honda parts? Check and replace the hoses first (if needed) and try flushing and bleeding the system out again with the help off someone. Is there any fluid loss in the reservoir?

I replaced the master and slave myself. They're both aftermarket parts purchased at O'Reillys. I've bled the system before and it helps a lot but only for so long before my pedal starts acting out again. And no, there is still plenty of fluid in the reservoir.

When bleeding it its easy to let the resovoir empty and get a bit of air in while your bleeding it.

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I'm almost certain I might have let some air in last time I bled it, but like I stated before, last time I did that my pedal was temporarily fixed, til now.

 

[daperez13]

If they're still under warranty (some of those parts have a lifetime warranty), it may be beneficial to just replace them again. I cannot stress enough how important it is to bleed the system right. Do not let any air in or you may have the same problem again. Same thing with brakes, it's imperative to do it right. Probably should replace hoses as well and make sure there are no brittle/dry rotted lines. It sucks, I know, it can get messy. But with a little help, you can keep things clean and better perform the job.

 

[Joe Mason]

I have had similar issues in the past with other cars after replacing the clutch hydraulic components. I would bleed bleed bleed and be good for a bit then back to bad. I would recommend blowing out as much fluid as you can and starting over with the fill and bleed process from the beginning with a helper. Be very methodical about it and give the helper precise instructions. Good luck and please let us know how it goes .

 

[HeX]

Being that you changed both the slave & master cylinders, did you fully drain the system or just refill & bleed? Its possible your remaining old fluid is slowly contaminating the new fluid. I base that on that old fluid may have retained enough moisture to now be dispursed by fresh fluid dillution, thus creating air in the system with further usage.

If not that, then you may have just left enough air in the system that it keeps on combining over use and giving more issues. Doing both the Master & Slave at the same time can allow all too much opportunity for air all over the place.

These are my best guesses being that your certain you have no leaks and your fluid levels havent dropped. Thoroughly flush the entire system, refill it with synthetic fluid, and air bleed with a helper on the petal. Prepare to use plenty of fluid until youre sure you have all fresh fluid.

 

[HeX]

I tweaked your title so the clutch issue part is seen first in all views.

 

[nd4sped]

If you did not bench bleed the master cylinder before installing it you will have trapped air in the cylinder itself. Easy way to fix this is:

1. disconnect and cap off the steel line quickly and set aside.
2. Install bleeder valve or plastic bleeder and connect a clear hose to it and run the hose back into the reservoir.
3. Fill reservoir with your favorite brake fluid.
4. Have someone else pump the clutch pedal repeatedly until all air is removed from the cylinder.
5. Replace reservoir cap to prevent air from entering reservoir when you remove bleeder. (Helps slow the draining of fluid when you remove bleeder).
6. Seal off the cylinder with the small plastic cap that comes with new unit. (or something else similar)
7. Reattach clutch line.
8. Bleed slave cylinder and ensure all air is removed from system.

Enjoy the rest of your day with a nice firm clutch pedal.

 

[Felipe de Jesus]

Thanks to everyone that has taken the time to post on here. I left town for a couple of weeks and just got back yesterday. I'll be replacing the master cylinder today and will bleed it afterwards using a vacuum pump. I'll let you know how it goes

Being that you changed both the slave & master cylinders, did you fully drain the system or just refill & bleed? Its possible your remaining old fluid is slowly contaminating the new fluid. I base that on that old fluid may have retained enough moisture to now be dispursed by fresh fluid dillution, thus creating air in the system with further usage.

If not that, then you may have just left enough air in the system that it keeps on combining over use and giving more issues. Doing both the Master & Slave at the same time can allow all too much opportunity for air all over the place.

These are my best guesses being that your certain you have no leaks and your fluid levels havent dropped. Thoroughly flush the entire system, refill it with synthetic fluid, and air bleed with a helper on the petal. Prepare to use plenty of fluid until youre sure you have all fresh fluid.

Yeah see, I just refilled it and bleed it afterwards. Could be the reason why my pedal was firm for a couple of months and its gone back to being loose. I'll be sure to do this when I bleed it today, just waiting on my roomie to wake up so he can take me to the auto store hehe

If you did not bench bleed the master cylinder before installing it you will have trapped air in the cylinder itself. Easy way to fix this is:

1. disconnect and cap off the steel line quickly and set aside.
2. Install bleeder valve or plastic bleeder and connect a clear hose to it and run the hose back into the reservoir.
3. Fill reservoir with your favorite brake fluid.
4. Have someone else pump the clutch pedal repeatedly until all air is removed from the cylinder.
5. Replace reservoir cap to prevent air from entering reservoir when you remove bleeder. (Helps slow the draining of fluid when you remove bleeder).
6. Seal off the cylinder with the small plastic cap that comes with new unit. (or something else similar)
7. Reattach clutch line.
8. Bleed slave cylinder and ensure all air is removed from system.

Enjoy the rest of your day with a nice firm clutch pedal.

For step 2, do you mean install a bleeder valve on the master cylinder where the steel line connects ? then connect a hose to it and the other end inside the master cylinder reservoir ?
Also step 6 is sorta confusing, since it says to seal the cylinder with the cap but isnt that where the cluth line connects to ? for step 7 ?

 

[Diana Nam]

it seems like people forgot to bench bleed the master clutch cylinders those typically need to be bench bleed manually by hand first

 

[nd4sped]

For step 2, do you mean install a bleeder valve on the master cylinder where the steel line connects ? then connect a hose to it and the other end inside the master cylinder reservoir ?
Also step 6 is sorta confusing, since it says to seal the cylinder with the cap but isnt that where the cluth line connects to ? for step 7 ?

Yes cap off the outlet where the clutch line would connect. Unless you are able to directly connect the line to the CMC. (Clutch master cylinder)

 

[lethal6]

it seems like people forgot to bench bleed the master clutch cylinders those typically need to be bench bleed manually by hand first

Meh. No need. Just bleed the system correctly after install. Never had a problem and I have yet to bench bleed a master cylinder.

 

[Diana Nam]

Meh. No need. Just bleed the system correctly after install. Never had a problem and I have yet to bench bleed a master cylinder.

really? hum i guess it works for some people but technically your suppose to so that way the entire system has no possible air pockets.

 

[HeX]

Bench bleeding helps reduce how much air needs to be bled out. It helps potentially save extra time when you bleed the rest of the system. Its still no guarantee that youll have significanly less air, but its easy to do so its worth it.

 

[lethal6]

I have always used a vacuum bleeder so there has never been a problem Brakes or clutch. Just did it last week with my VW (clutch master, clutch slave, and brake master. Clutch is smooth as butter and the brakes are nice and tight.

I guess to each their own, but it definitely isn't a "must do". None of the guys at work do it either. Then again, maybe German cars are that different that they don't need it or it is an extra step that they don't deem necessary when under the gun for time and using a vacuum system.